Hood latch with ratchet locking means



Dec. 23, 1958 H. KRAUSE noon LATCH WITH RATCHET LOCKING MEANS 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 30, 1956 J72 0977207 jfererz jfrazrsg Dec. 23,1958 H. KRAUSE 2,865,668

HOOD LATCH WITH RATCHET LOCKING MEANS Filed Aug. 50, 1956 v 2Sheets-Sheet 2 I72 V87? for" -ifer erl ifraase United States Patent HOODLATCH WITH RATHET LOCKING MEANS Herbert Krause, Chicago, Ill., assignorto Chicago Forging and Manufacturing Company, Chicago, 111., acorporation of Delaware Application August 30, 1956, Serial No. 607,080

3 Claims. (Cl. 292216) efiective to lock the main latch in latchingposition.

Another purpose is to provide a latching structure in which a main latchmay be be moved into and secured in a variety of latching positions.

Other purposes will appear from time to time during the course of thespecification and claims.

I illustrate my invention more or less diagrammatically in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a view of the device as installed;

Figure 2 is a view on an enlarged scale showing the parts in latchingposition;

Figure 3 is a view similar to that of Figure 1, showing the parts inlatching position.

Like parts are indicated by like numerals throughout the specificationand drawings.

Referring now to the drawings and particularly to Figure 1 thereof, akeeper member is indicated generally by the numeral 1. The keeper 1 maycomprisea generally L-shaped cylindrical prong or pin having a shankportion 2 and a latch engaging, laterally disposed portion 3. A main orlatch supporting plate 4 may carry a keeper receiving opening or slot 5which may be formed in a side edge of the plate 4 and may extend anappreciable distance into the plate 4. Plate 4 may be mounted upon thebody or hood closure in any suitable manner. I illustrate, for example,the wings or flanges 6 secured by connectors or nut and bolt elements 7.

Rotatably mounted on the plate 4 is a main latch 10. The latch 10 has alatching portion generally indicated by the numeral 11 and a locksupporting portion generally indicated at 12. The main latch portion 11has a pair of spaced keeper engaging extensions or ears 13, 14 definingbetween them a generally U-shaped keeperreceiving slot 15. Acomparatively strong yielding member such as the spring 16 may be coiledabout latch pivot 17 and may have its opposite ends in engagement withthe pivot pin 17 as at 18 and with an car 19 struck from an edge of thelatch 10, thus causing the spring 16 to urge the latch 10 towardunlatching position. It will be observed that the latch portion 13 is,at all positions of the latch 10, in alignment with, and may bedescribed as overlying the keeper-receiving slot 5 of the plate 4. Thekeeper-retaining portion 14 is movable into a position overlying theslot 5 when the latch is moved to latching position. An abutment 20 ispositioned to be engaged by a latch abutment 21 when the latch 10 ismoved toward nonlatching position by the spring 16. The abutment 20 maybe formed by an up-set ear to which a shock absorbing member 22, whichmay be formed of rubber,

"ice

for example, is attached in position to be contacted by the abutment 21.

Latch locking means generally indicated by the numeral 30 may comprise afixed locking element 31 and a movable locking element 32. The element31 may be fixed to the plate 4 and the element 32 may be movably mountedupon the latch portion 12. For example the element 31 may comprise anarcuate bar having its opposite ends secured to the plate 4 as by therivets 33, 34, the portion between the rivets 33, 34 being raised orspaced from the plate 4. The element 31 may have a serrated or curved orroughened arcuate edge 35.

The member 32 may comprise a latch locking arm 40 pivotally mountedintermediate its ends to the latch 10 and upon the latch portion 12 asat 41. It will be observed that the arm 40 is positioned generally inalignment with the arm portion 12 of the latch 10. The arm 40 has anouter end portion 45 overlying and extending beyond the element 31 andcarrying adjacent its outer end a pin or roller 46 positioned to overlieand, when desired, to engage the edge 35 of the element 31. A yieldingmember, such as the spring 50 may surround the pivot 41 and may have itsopposite ends in engagement with an ear or abutment 51 fixed on thelatch portion 12 and an ear or abutment 52 up-set from the arm 40 tocause the spring 50 to urge the locking arm 40 toward locking positionand thus to urge the pin or roller 46 into engagement with theserrations or formations 35. The arm 40 has an opposite end portion 60extending along the portion 12 and overlying the latch portion 11 andpivot 17. The portion 60 may be considered a release arm portion andmeans, such as the Bowden wire 61 may be connected to the arm 40 as at62 to provide for manual release of the lock arm 40. In the structureillustrated, the release element 61 is slidably mounted in a portion 63formed for this purpose in the plate 4. t It will be understood that avariety of means for moving the arm 40 toward nonlocking position may beprovided without departing from the nature and scope of my invention.

Whereas I have described and claimed a practical and operative device,nevertheless, many changes may be made in the size, shape, number anddisposition of parts without departing from the spirit of my invention.I therefore wish my description and drawings to be taken as, in a broadsense, illustrative or diagrammatic, rather than as limiting me to myprecise showing.

The use and operation of my invention are as follows:

When the hood A and closure B are moved toward each other, the keeperportion 3 enters the slot 5. The latch 10 is at this point innonlatching position to which it is urged by the strong spring 16. Asthe keeper portion 3 further penetrates the slot 5 it comes into contactwith the slot defining edge 13a of the latch portion 13 and continuedpenetration of the keeper portion 3 causes rotation of the latch 10about the pivot 17 against the action of the spring 16 and towardlatching position as shown in Figure 2. Rotation of the latch 10brings-the keeper retaining latch portion 14 into position overlying theslot 5 and behind the keeper portion 3, the latching slot defining edge14a being effective to retain the keeper 1 in latched position withinthe slot 5.

As the latch 10 was rotated toward latching position, as describedabove, the arm 12 carried the locking element 40 along the arcuate bar31, the bar 31 being positioned in the position of an arc correspondingsubstantially to that described by the laterally directed latch portion12. The pin 46 was permitted to ride along the serrations 35 as thelatch it) moved toward latching position. At any position during thecourse of its travel toward latching position, the latch 10 would beefiectively locked in such position by engagement of the pin or roller46 with the serrations 35. Since cessation of movement of the keeper 1into the slot 5 would permit the spring 16 to exert a force tending torotate the latch back toward latching position and such action by thelatch 10, in cooperation with the action of the spring 'il, isefifective to. urge the pin 46 more deeply into engagement with theserrations 35 and thereby to lock the latch 10 against movement towardnonlatching position. Since even partial movement of the latch 10 towardlatching position in response to penetration of the slot 5 by the keeper1 is efiective to urge a segment of the latch portion 14 intokeeper-retaining position across the slot 5, it will be realized thatthe latching stnlcture of my invention is efifective to retain thekeeper 3 at a variety of positions within the slot 5.

When it is desired to release the latch 10 to permit separation of thehood A and closure B, it is necessary only that the operator rotate thearm 40 in a clockwise direction, as the parts are shown in the drawingsand to rotate it only the very slightest distance suificient merely todisengage the pin or roller 46 from the relatively shallow serrations35, the action of the strong spring being effective promptly to snap thelatch 10 toward nonlatching position, the edge 13a being effective tourge the keeper 1 outwardly from the slot 5, the keeper-retainingportion 14 being rotated out of the escape path of the keeper 1.

i I claim:

1. In a hood latch, a latch-supporting plate, a keeperreceiving openingin said plate, a latch pivotally mounted on said plate, said latchhaving keeper-engaging portions positioned to lie across said openingwhen said latch is in latching position, yielding means positioned tourge said latch toward non-latching position, and means for locking saidlatch in latching position, said last-named means comprising a generallyarcuate member fixed on said plate, said latch having an arm portionpivotal in an arc paralleling and adjacently within the arc of saidfixed member, a locking lever pivoted to and movable with said latch armportion, said locking lever having a lever portion paralleling saidlatch arm portion at one side of the pivot of said locking lever, saidlocking lever having a second arm portion on the opposite side of saidlast named pivot, said second locking lever portion overlying saidarcuate member at all positions of said locking lever, said arcuatemember having serrations formed along its outer arcuate edge, saidlast-named locking lever portion having an element positioned thereonoverlying said serrations at all positions of said locking lever, andyielding means operative against said main latch arm portion and saidlocking lever and effective to urge said element into engagement withsaid serrations at all positions of said latch.

2. In a hood latch, a latch plate having a keeper-receiving openingtherein, a latch member having a portion overlying said opening andpositioned to be engaged by said keeper when said keeper penetrates saidopening, said latch having a keeper-engaging portion and an arm portiondisposed substantially perpendicularly thereto, said latch beingpivotally mounted on said latch plate at a point adjacent saidkeeper-engaging portion, stop means on said plate positioned to beengaged by said latch at the non-latching position thereof, said latchbeing mounted on said plate for rotation through an are limited by saidkeeper and said stop means, yielding means connected to said plate andsaid latch to urge said latch toward non-latching position, and meansfor locking said latch in a variety of locking positions, saidlast-named means comprising an arcuate member fixed on said plateimmediately adjacent the outer end of said latch arm portion, the are ofsaid member paralleling the arcuate path traversed by said arm portionand a locking lever pivotally mounted intermediate its ends to said armportion, said locking lever having an end portion overlying said arcuatemember at all positions of said main latch, said arcuate member havinggripping formations along its outer arcuate edge, said overlying lockinglever portion having an element thereon positioned to engage saidgripping formations at all positions of said latch, and yielding meansoperative against said main latch arm portion and said locking lever andeffective to urge said element into engagement with said grippingformations at all positions of said latch and locking lever.

3. The structure of claim 2 wherein said locking lever element is offsetfrom said latch arm portion in the direction traveled by said latch armportion when said latch moves toward latching position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,246,787 Dall June 24, 1941 2,508,090 Beems et al May 16, 19502,729,487 Krause et al Jan. 3, 1956

